2019 NFL Draft: Top 5 Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates
By Jeremy Klump
5. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (Round 2, Pick 53)
You may have thought this was going to be former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs, but that isn’t the case because the best running back in the 2019 NFL Draft was former Penn State running back Miles Sanders.
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Sanders was one of my favorite players in the entire 2019 NFL Draft class and I was pounding the table for the Philadelphia Eagles to draft him, and that is exactly what happened. I truly thought Sanders could sneak into the first round because he is that good in my eyes, but he somehow dropped all the way to the 53rd pick. The Eagles must have been ecstatic when they saw he made it to them.
A lot of people do not like this pick because the Eagles traded for Jordan Howard, but Howard only has one year left on his contract and now the Eagles have their running back of the future locked up. I would also add that on that, from a talent standpoint, Sanders is on another planet compared to Howard.
Sanders can do it all and be the three-down running back the Eagles needed. He will likely serve as the third-down back to start the year, but the Eagles would be smart to start him right away. Howard can be the short yardage guy, but Sanders should get the ball 15+ times a game.
With that in mind, I think the Eagles will see before the year starts that Sanders should be their RB1. Sanders has a real shot to win the Rookie of the Year award if that is the case.